Busch Has Formula For Bristol Success

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- No dominator of Bristol Motor Speedway has ever put the secret quite like Kurt Busch does: "It's just a matter of minding your own business . . . "

Everybody's business appears to be everybody else's, on every lap, with 43 cars packed onto the self-proclaimed "world's fastest half-mile track."

It's sort of like putting 43 dice in a cup and expecting them not to touch each other as you shake.

Furthermore, Busch, 26, the reigning Nextel Cup champion, has yet to be recognized as a minder of his own business anywhere on the tour, what with his aggressive style that's just now beginning to settle down.

But Busch goes into today's Food City 500 seeking a fourth straight win of Bristol's springtime race, and a fifth win in the past seven events here.

That lends credence to what he calls his "small formula" for success at NASCAR's highest-banked (36 degrees), yet second-shortest (.533 of a mile) track.

At the end of the equation comes the trick: " . . . then being really aggressive," Busch said.

That's more like Busch, who hasn't yet lived down notoriety for sticking the nose of his Roush Racing Ford into others' business and bumpers, and more like Bristol. And that usually turns the final 200 of the 500 laps into a free-for-all.

Tough guys have historically been the big winners here. Darrell Waltrip won 12 times, including seven in a row. Cale Yarborough and the late Dale Earnhardt won nine times each.

Among active drivers, only Rusty Wallace with nine and Jeff Gordon with five have more Bristol wins than Busch.

For Busch's latest win here, last April, he had to fend off a slam from behind by Wallace on the last lap.

But any lap can be as precarious as the last ones.

"It's really about just riding around," Busch said. "You get your time in, and then you have to attack the track for about 200 laps."

But exactly how does one "ride around," minding his own business, at this place?

"You have to protect your car," Busch said. "If there's somebody quicker than you [in the early and middle stages], you just let 'em go.

"If you're quicker than the car in front of you, you just find their weak points and try to work around that.

"[The small formula] is as difficult as anything -- but at the same time it's simple, if your car is handling well."

All of that said, "Everything at Bristol is nothing you can expect," he added. "You have to adjust, and roll with what comes your way."

What he's sure of is that "If we're in position late in the race, we're going to attack."

Busch will start what might appear to be a miserable 26th but has never worried much about qualifying position here, and it hasn't hurt him.

His first win here, in March of 2002, came from the 27th starting spot. Last spring's win was from 13th. Only once has he had it relatively easy from the start.

"We won the fall race here two years ago by qualifying in the top five," he said. "It just seemed like a much easier night. But all of my other starting spots have been poor."